July, 2013

Recently, over four thousand Wyoming Toad tadpoles are bred and hatched at the Como Zoo were sent to a Wyoming wildlife refuge. They were released in the wildlife refuge as part of a national program to strengthen the numbers of this rare species.

For the last 3 years, Como Zoo has worked with several other zoos across the nation to breed adult toads as well as ship tadpoles to the Mortenson Lake National Wildlife Refuge, which is near Laramie. This is the place where the toad was discovered in the late 80s after scientists thought that this species had gone extinct.

This toad is one of the 4 endangered amphibians that are found in North America. Como Zoo’s thirty adult toads that are kept in aquariums, are seen daily by Bree Barney. Como Friends, which us the nonprofit partner of the zoo, received the funding to purchase a hibernation chamber for these toads as well as cover staff training for the whole program.

This week, Bree Barney will go to Laramie to do some research and to meet the representatives from some other zoos that are working for the survival of the toad.

Wyoming has an increasing tattoo culture and it requires a convention to show its artists. The the owner of a tattoo shop stated the city officials regarding putting on an exhibit or convention in the state. Trinidad Serrano is guiding a bunch of people to put on the convention, stated Wyoming Tribune Eagle on Thursday. The tattoo artists are working with environmental health division of Cheyenne-Laramie County Health Department to make a special event permit which could be utilized to put on tattoo conventions.